First thing’s first: We know you waited months for a response to your application and the outcome you received was…more waiting. But! An offer of a place on a Waitlist is a positive reaction to your candidacy. In recent years, several dozen students were admitted from Tufts’ Waitlist. While we don’t know yet whether space will be available this year, an offer of a place on the Waitlist indicates that the Admissions Committee was impressed by your application and we hope your interest in Tufts remains high.
The internet is filled with advice about how to navigate the Waitlist process. Some of it is helpful and some of it is…not. So we want to be very clear. Here’s what we ask waitlisted students to do at Tufts:
First: Decide whether you wish to remain on the Waitlist. If you remain excited about the possibility of enrolling at Tufts in the upcoming fall, follow the steps below. If you are wholeheartedly committed to another offer of admission, congratulations! We wish you the very best with your next steps.
Second: Thoughtfully complete and submit the Waitlist Reply Form, linked in your Tufts Applicant Status Page, by the stated deadline (which is April 15 in 2026). This online form requires several short responses and serves as your statement of continued interest. Your written responses should allow the Admissions Committee to learn more details about why you’re still excited about Tufts, about your recent academic successes, and about anything else of note since you submitted your initial application. The best advice available: review the Waitlist Reply Form instructions closely and adhere to them. Only students who submit the Reply Form by the deadline will be considered for admission from the Waitlist.
Third: Once your Waitlist Reply Form is submitted, ensure we have a completed application. Review your admissions checklist in the Tufts Applicant Status Page to confirm that your mid-year senior grades were received. If you are applying for financial aid, refer to your financial aid checklist to determine if any materials are missing and work to submit those promptly using the instructions on our website.
Fourth: Finalize alternative college plans. We are pleased that you remain interested in Tufts and we hope you have received other active offers of admission about which you are also excited. Attend admitted student programs for those institutions and begin narrowing down your options. You should make sure you have another college option secured by that school’s enrollment deposit deadline, since admission from the Waitlist is not guaranteed.
Fifth: Monitor your email for future communication. Students who remain active on the Waitlist will receive periodic updates via email and space may become available anytime between early May and June 30. Like at all stages of the college process (and life in college, broadly), important information is often delivered via email and you will need to promptly respond to any communication.
Additional actions, like sending formal letters of continued interest or additional letters of recommendation, are not encouraged. If you want to keep learning about Tufts in the meantime, you may choose to register for an upcoming virtual event or request recordings of recent sessions. The months of April and May will be busy as a high school seniors and the time will fly by. We’ll be in touch soon.